Mousetraps, snares, and other such pest trapping or control devices have been supplied as spring-loaded traps, poisons in the form of anticoagulants or other more lethal formulations, or adhesive traps within which the pest gets stuck. An adhesive-type trap is illustrated by U.S. Pat. No. 3,398,478 to Pearsall. This device is in the form of a long tube with a floor that is free from adhesive. The walls and top are coated with adhesive to trap the pest when it attempts to turn around to leave the tube.
Another such trap is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,908,976 to Dagenais. This patent is essentially the same as the Pearsall patent, the only difference appearing to be the use of air-tight caps that are frictionally attached to the body of the trap. The use of caps per se is shown by Pearsall to be old. Various disadvantages are attendant each of the prior art devices, whether they be ineffective, dangerous to humans, particularly children, difficult to use or set, etc. In addition, most of the prior art devices are designed to be lethal to the target species. In many cases, there is an intent not to kill the animal, insect, etc. but to trap and study the target. Thus, a need continues to exist in the art for an effective pest control device that is both safe and easy to use and which is effective against its intended target.